If you live in or near the Texas Hill Country, you have undoubtedly had to protect your trees, plants and ground cover from the multitude of deer that reside in our area.  Deer can cause extreme damage to trees and plants making homeowners and gardeners spend good money on deer repellents and barricades for their plants.  While no tree or plant is completely deer proof, some are less attractive to animals than others.  In this blog you will find a partial listing of trees, plants and shrubs that are a bit more deer-resistant than others.  The information provided comes from Rutgers University Experiment Station along with landscaping professionals and gardeners.

Plants that are rarely or seldom “severely” damaged from deer usually have some sort of natural deer repellent within while other trees and shrubs attract the deer like crazy.  After a little research and help from your friendly Milberger’s professional, you will know what changes need to be made to your yard or garden and what the better choices are when purchasing plants and trees.

In the tree category, the best choices for natural deer resistance are some of the indigenous or native trees such as Mountain Laurel, Desert Willow, Rough Leaf Dogwood, Sumac and Texas Persimmon. Larger shade trees like Live Oak, Mexican Oak, Cedar Elm, Mexican Sycamore and Bald Cypress are seldom severely damaged by our deer, but may need temporary protection until established.
Some good choices for plants and shrubbery include hollies, nandinas, yuccas, palms Texas sage, oleander, viburnum and more. We have a complete list available at the nursery and on-line that includes annuals, perennials, ground covers and vines.

This list is not the final word on what deer will or will not eat. Like people, different herds of deer eat different foods.  This list was compiled from many sources including information from Dr. Calvin Finch, Dr. Jerry Parsons, Dr. John Lipe, the Bexar County Agri-Life Extension Service and numerous Milberger customers.

Come by Milberger’s Nursery and Landscaping and let us help you make the right choices for your yard and garden.

(source: arborday)